Takeaways From the Wisconsin Badgers' Fourth Practice of Spring Football Camp

MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin Badgers had their final practice Thursday morning before a near two-week hiatus due to spring break.

It was the most contact-filled practice yet, and with that came some competition-fueled scuffles and trash talk.

Despite the increased hit frequency, Thursday's practice had large portions sectioned off for special teams work and walkthroughs, limiting the amount of live 11-on-11 reps.

Still, there were plenty of insights to glean from the session.

Related: Four Players Who Stood out at Wisconsin Football Spring Practice No. 4

Young DBs flash

The Badgers brought in four new cornerbacks through the transfer portal, including a trio of redshirt sophomores. Given the wealth of young talent Wisconsin already had at the position, it's not a surprise to see some of the youth get plenty of reps.

Still, they've shown plenty to be excited about. Jai'mier Scott, a returning redshirt freshman, was often draped on his matchup and made multiple plays on the ball. The same can be said for Cai Bates ( Florida State), who's one of the aforementioned redshirt sophomores.

Bates, at 6-foot-3, 202 pounds, has excellent positional size, but has enough speed to keep up with twitchy wideouts.

RB room might be even deeper than 2025

Running back depth was considered a clear strength before the 2025 campaign, with Dilin Jones, Darrion Dupree, Cade Yacamelli and Gideon Ituka all in the mix. Injuries and subpar offensive line play prevented the running backs from showing their true talent, and as a result, Dilin Jones and Cade Yacamelli opted for the transfer portal.

Gideon Ituka, who sustained a scary injury to the head and neck area late in 2025, isn't expected to play in 2026.

Yet, Wisconsin's running back room could have gotten better.

Abu Sama (Iowa State) has looked the part of a lead back, having some strong runs Thursday and even hauling in a 20-yard catch on a wheel route. Dupree, the lone returner of the bunch, looks to be back at full health following a lower-body injury that cost him a pair of games and limited him for a few more.

The question marks for the RB room came after those top two, with Bryan Jackson (USC) and Nate Palmer (TCU) transferring in with limited collegiate experience.

Jackson, primarily known as a power back, ripped off multiple runs of 10-plus yards Thursday, and Palmer, who's more of a speedster, put his head down and welcomed major contact.

Palmer nearly had a 40-to-50 yard receiving touchdown, blowing by a linebacker on a wheel route. However, Colton Joseph overthrew the young tailback, resulting in an incompletion.

It's difficult to get a precise read on running backs until full contact is allowed, but early on, this group looks quite strong.

Dark horse punt return option emerging

We're just two weeks into spring camp, a period notorious for testing and widespread evaluation. Yet, in the two practices I've taken in, it looks like there's a path for Harrison Bortolotti to become Wisconsin's punt returner.

Tyrell Henry served as the Badgers' primary punt returner in 2025, accounting for 10 of the 12 punts that were returnable and not fair-caught, but Henry could be tasked with being the Badgers' starting slot receiver in 2026.

On Thursday, four players took punt return reps: Henry, Eugene Hilton, Keeyshawn Tabuteau and Bortolotti. Henry also split reps as a gunner on punt team.

Tabuteau bobbled one of his returns and Hilton muffed one, but both Bortolotti and Henry kept clean sheets. Beyond that, Bortolotti showed surprising burst and elusiveness -- albeit against non-tackling defenders.

At 5-foot-9, 202 pounds, the sophomore walk-on running back looks the part of a slippery ball carrier with good short- and long-distance speed. On offense, Bortolotti had a breakaway touchdown run where he got to the edge and won the foot race.

Now, Henry could be locked in as the punt returner right now, but if Bortolotti keeps performing like he has recently, he could force his way onto the field as a returner.